Thai police believe Bangkok shrine attacker ‘part of network’

Yesterday, a manhunt was underway for a man, wearing a yellow t-shirt and heavy-framed glasses, seen in CCTV footage apparently depositing a black rucksack at the scene before vanishing into the crowd only minutes before the explosion.

Another police spokesman said that the main suspect – who police desbribed as a tall, fair-skinned foreigner speaking neither Thai nor English – may have left the country, but that police were “unsure” of his whereabouts.

Police on Wednesday released a sketch of the suspect that they said could help locate the yellow-shirted man seen in the CCTV footage.

The warrant, issued by Bangkok’s Southern Criminal Court, accuses an “unnamed foreigner” of conspiracy to commit “premeditated murder” among other charges, linked to the bomb that killed 22 people on Monday.

Police said on Tuesday that the suspect, seen in closed-circuit TV footage, is a young man casually dressed with a backpack.

Authorities have offered a 1 million baht ($28,000) reward for information leading to his arrest.

Prawut said he believes the man is a suspect in the blast that killed a number of people at a shrine in downtown Bangkok on Monday night.

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha urged the “amateur” culprit to surrender to the police, warning he could otherwise be killed.

Lt Gen Prayuth has called the attack “the worst incident that has ever happened in Thailand” and vowed to track down those responsible.

The shrine, situated at a bustling intersection near a large shopping mall, is a big draw for tourists.

The two men, however, insist they are tour guides, the BBC has reported.

Thailand’s military leadership has declared the attack was unlikely to be the work of foreign militants and that it was not targeted at China, despite the shrine being popular with Chinese tourists.

The Erawan shrine, which is popular with Buddhists in Thailand, has since reopened.

BANGKOK-Thailand said Thursday worldwide terror groups were likely not behind a deadly Bangkok shrine bombing, but appealed for Interpol help in hunting a foreign man accused of being the prime suspect.

Among those who paid respects was an office worker, Nuansupha Sarunsikarin, who expressed shock and sadness over the attack.

“Its a network! We believe there must be people helping him, Thai people”, said Somyot who however did not reveal details.

In a separate attack on Tuesday, an explosive device was thrown at a pier in Bangkok. Two victims remain unidentified, according to a report by the Associated Press.

This appeared to be aimed at countering accusations run by some sections of the Thai media that militants representing the ethnic Chinese Uighur minority had carried out the attack.